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Fly Cathay Pacific’s Amazing First Class With These 5 Insider Tips

September 19, 2017
by
Million Mile Secrets Million Mile Secrets

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Cathay Pacific First Class From the US to Asia

Cathay Pacific operates non-stop, First Class service to its main hub in Hong Kong from 5 US cities:

Boston

Chicago

Los Angeles

New York (JFK)

San Francisco

You Can Fly From Any of These US Cities to Hong Kong in Cathay Pacific First Class!

But depending on which airline miles you use to book your award flights, it may be possible to add on a connecting flight on one of Cathay Pacific’s partners from your home airport to one of these cities. Or consider buying a cheap flight.

Collecting the Miles

These aren’t the only ways to book Cathay Pacific First Class, but they’re the easiest for folks who collect miles in the US.

Step 2. Navigate to “Spending Avios”

Place your cursor over “Executive Club” and click on “Spending Avios.”

Find the “Spending Avios” Section on the British Airways Website

Step 3. Select “Book a Reward Flight”

Click on “Book a Reward Flight.”

Select “Book a Reward Flight” to Begin Your Search

Step 4. Enter Your Destination and Dates of Travel

Suppose you want to find available award seats from New York to Hong Kong on November 23, 2017.

Enter “New York” in the “From” box and “Hong Kong” in the “To” box. And select your class of service.

Search One-Way Segments and Adjust the Class of Service to First Class

Enter your departure date and click the “One way only” box because it’s easier to search segment by segment. If you are booking a round-trip flight, just search for the return segments after you find available seats for your outbound segments.

Then click “Get Flights.”

Step 5. Avoid Stopovers and View Available Seats

You’ll be given the option for a stopover, but you will select NO stopover, because the only option for a stopover is in London. And we don’t want to see routes via London because those flights will be on British Airways (we’re trying to find available partner seats with Cathay Pacific).

Now you’ll see if there are any seats in First Class from New York to Hong Kong.

One Seat Is Available in Cathay Pacific First Class on Thanksgiving Day!

Step 6. Record Flight Information and Call to Book

Once you find available award seats, write down the details. Then call American Airlines to book your ticket at 800-882-8880.

2. Start Your Search 331 Days in Advance

Planning your trip ~11 months from the date of travel is the best way to increase your chances of finding available Cathay Pacific First Class award seats.

That’s because Cathay Pacific usually only loads ONE First Class award seat on its flights between the US and Hong Kong, 331 days in advance (when using American Airlines miles).

One Seat Open On Each Flight Between New York (JFK) and Hong Kong in First Class, 331 Days in Advance

Remember that Cathay Pacific First Class is available from 5 US cities, so it’s worth checking for award seats from all 5 airports.

3. Check Airports With More Daily Flights

You might want to start your search from New York (JFK) and Los Angeles. Because each airport has 4 daily flights to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific.

San Francisco has 3 flights, but 2 of 3 operate on Sunday and Monday only. Folks may find it difficult to start a vacation on these days, but if you’re flexible then that helps.

Boston and Chicago have daily service to Hong Kong, but with only 1 flight a day, demand is higher. So that could mean fewer award seats.

Start Your First Class Search With New York (JFK) and Los Angeles, Because They Each Have 4 Flights Per Day

4. Mix and Match Airports

Because Cathay Pacific First Class is available from 5 US airports, you can depart from one city and return to another.

For example, suppose you found a First Class seat from Chicago to Hong Kong, but when looking for award seats on your return date, there were none available back to Chicago.

Be Flexible With Your Airports and You Could Have Your Own Pair of Comfy Cathay Pacific First Class Pyjamas!

You could check for available seats to the other 4 airports, and book a return flight to a different city, like New York.

5. Have Flexible Dates

Cathay Pacific will normally release a few First Class award seats closer to departure. If you are flexible (and a good planner) you could find 2 or more First Class seats just a few days before your departure date.

It’s best to start checking for available award seats on the British Airways website ~10 days prior to your desired departure date. Check daily and often.

Note: You can book an open First Class seat ~331 days in advance. If you’re traveling with a partner, book their seat in Business Class at the same time. Then check for First Class award seats to open up within ~10 days of departure.

Bottom Line

Flying Cathay Pacific First Class is a dream for many miles and points enthusiasts! Knowing which miles to collect for your trip is a good start.

By using the right website to search for available seats, planning close to a year in advance, and being little flexible, you’ll increase your chances of success.

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Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)

11comments

My wife and I have traveled Cathay Pacific F several times using AAdvantage miles. As most know, Cathay started getting stingy a couple years ago, releasing only one award seat at a time (not good for couples). Using BA’s and Japan’s website, I never find two F award seats until about a week before our intended travel date, so travel flexibility is the key. If the destination is more important than class of seat, go ahead and book two, more available bus. class seats and go for an upgrade during the last week before you travel. It’s quite likely that a couple of FC seats will be released 1-7 days before your intended travel date but they go fast!

If you’re going beyond Hong Kong, Alaska miles may not be the best choice. (AS can book mainline Cathay Pacific Only; not its subsidiaries Cathay Dragon/DragonAir. I believe AA can book both mainline and subsidiaries.)

Anecdotally, I’ve found that seats are available on quite a few dates from LAX/SFO. And, if First is gone, Biz or Premium Economy may be reasonable choices. (AS can book Premium Economy for 35,000 miles; AA does not offer Premium Economy.)

Head over to flyertalk and look in the American Air forum; it appears that award seats go very quickly once space opens up at the 331 day mark. I suspect you have waited too long to book seats. As Daraius said towards the end of the article, you *may* get lucky within a 10-12 day window before departure and snag an open seat.

Thanks, but my post discussed the availability of flights, not award seats. Simply put, BA is not showing the existence of nonstops from ORD and NYC to HKG. Only routings through LHR.

Rather than repeat myself further, I’ll just add that I’ve found a very few last-minute award seats to open up on other routes within 2 days of departure, not 12. Twelve would make our lives much easier, which is most decidedly not the airlines’ intention!

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)